Machinery for use in the manufacture of pneumatic tires.



No. 852,855. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907.

T. & R. SLOPBR. 4 MAGHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906. r

' 15 SEEETS-SHEE$ 1 No. 852,855. 7 PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. T. & R. SLOPBR,

MACHINE-RY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNBUMA'TIS 'Z' S APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

15 SHESTS---$EEET 2.

NU.- 952355. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. T. & R SLOPBR.

FOR U$E IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20.1906.

' l5 SHEETS-SHEBT 3.

No 852,855. PATENTED MAY '7, I907.

T. & R-. SLOPER. MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG 20, 1906.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 4,.

110.852.5355. x PATBUTUU' MAY "7, 1907.

- I I I v T. & R. SLOPER.

MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE; MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

l5 SHEETSSHEBT 5.

, PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. T. & R. SLOPBR.

MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OP'PNEUMATIG TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 6.

N0. 852,855. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. T. & R. SLOPER. MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUPACTURE'OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

.15'SHEETSTSHEET 7.

w MW Q fi R M aw No. 852.855. PATENTED MAY '7, 1907. T, & R. SLQPER.

MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE 0? PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.20, 1906.

15 sums-512L251" a,

.PATBNTED MAY 7.11207.

T. & R. SLOPER. MACHINERY FOR USE'IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APYLIGATION FILED AUG. 20, '90s. 1 15 SHEETS-SHEET 9 No. 852,855. PATENTED MAY '7; 1907.

T. & R. SLOPER. MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

' 15 SHEETS-SHEET l0.

I'l l iii- 1 Mam PATENTED MAY '7, 1907.

T. & R. SLOPER. :iraiamgm' P03, USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMA I0 TIRES.

l5 SHEETS SHEET 11.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

PATENTED MAY 7, 1907;

x T. & R. .sLoPER, MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF YNBUMATIG TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

15 SHEETS-SHEBT 12.

N0'.852,855. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. T. & R. SLOPER. MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20. 1906.

15 SHEETS-SHEET 13.

No. 852,855. 5 PATENTED MAY 7, 15071 T. 5 R. SLOPER. MACHINERY FOR USE IN THE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 20, 1906.

.' 15 SHEETSSHBET 14.

No. 852,855. PATENTED MAY 7, 1907. T. & R. SLOPER.

MACHINERY FOR USE INTHE MANUFACTURE OF PNEUMATIC TIRES.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 20. 906.

1 l5 SHEETS-SHEET l5.

built up.

with the angle at which mg arm and it may tint-ran srarns .PAENT FFICE.

THOMAS SLOPER AND ROBERT SLOPETL OF MACHENERY FQR USE! of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in 'machinery for use in the manufacture of pneumatic tires and has forits object to provide a machine for the purpose of building a tire fabric of cords wound backward and forward across the tire. The cords employed are preferably rubbered cords such as described in British Letters Patent No. 18135, dated 18th August 1902, and granted to C. H. Gray and T. Sl'oper jointly.

In carrying out our invention we employ a former or mold upon which the fabric'is The former may be of any suitable construction but is preferably collapsible and provided with a row of pins on each side as described in the British Letters Patent No. 10942 dated 13th May 1903 and U. S. Patent 781,687 dated February 7, 1905 also granted to C. H. Gray and T. Sloper.

Ye employ a lever or arm to fold" the cord into loops and to place these loops across the'former-at an angle to correspond the cords are to be laid in the finished tire. This lever or arm which may be referred to as the folding arm carries two pins or projections. One of these pins is situated at the pivot of the foldrevolve upon its axis about a half revolution but does not alter its position. This pin for the purpose of distinction may be designated the fixed pin. The other or moving pin is at or near the end of the folding arm and is carried with it in its movement through about one half of a revolution and back again. The cord is led from the supply spool to a tension regulator and from his to a pulley or guide from which it )asses to the former being folded and guided in its course by the folding arm. The latter delivers the cord to the former in the shape of two loops one on each side, each loop being held out straight by the above mentioned pins on the folding arm. Two transferring arms now come int operation and transfer the loops from the pins of the folding a rm to one of the pins of the former on each side at the same time laying the cord at its proper angle and curve on the former.

Specification of Lettersl Patent. Application filed August 20, 190th 'Shrial No. 331,415-

DEVIZES, ENGLA D. a

Patented Mayl'Z, i907.

I The folding arm then returns through'ahalf revolution, takesup another length; of cord folds it into loops and thefoperation is repeated until the whole circumference of the Guides slowlv revolving former is covered.

at THE MANUFACTURE orv PNeiumArm Tiass or pr sserfeet are employed where requisite to ca se the cord to take and retain its' p'rop er position. s l Any suit able mechanism may be employed 1 on the transferring arms for holding the cord l loops; but. we prefer to-employ spring'oper' These tumblers take the occupied by the pins when the 'loops are removed'from the folding arm, and in their ated tumblers having limited 'movement.

places previously f turn give up these places to the pins on the former when the transferring arms are approaching the end of their movement.=

After the loop of the cord on eachside of the former isplaced on presser-foot or placer may date the fabric and hold'the loop out of the l way while the neXt-loop isplaced' on its'pin. J1 l i l upward slightly on its return movement to The-folding arm may be caused'to move l enable the pins thereon to clear the cord.

When employing a cord of flattened cross section and applying it in the manner described in the British Letters Patent No. 753, .dated 12th January 1903and granted to C. H. Gray and T. Sloper the cord is folded'by the folding arm llat sides are together. ployed at or near the tread portion of. the former to turn the cord partly round so '7 lts properpin-abe used to'consoliin such a mannerthat the Guules may be emthat it makes a full fabric at the tread. The r great ladvantage of employing flattened cord is that derstood that although'there is no backward it folds more easily and further occupges less room at the smaller ClIC1ll11f61-.

movement of the cord the folding armtakes very desirable that the, cord under tension and that this tension should be as uniform as regulator between the supply spooland the folding arm. This may consist of pulleys kept apart by springs.

\Ve tension regulator one stronger t ia n't e other, and-We refer to so arrange that the spring Ways possible we employ thetensio'n prefer to employ two s rings on the its supply of cord intermittently, and as it-is should alwaysbe. 1.

.. ak r. aeeps a fiGIlSlOIl 0n the cord. 1

. ranged that unless or until the stron er spring of bEST'AVAlIABLE corr into use it gradually releases the brake. The

1 section of the ap aratus shown in Fig. 5 on vation of one of the transferring fingers;

effect of this combination is thatifthe Inachme should slow down or the supplysppol should tend to overrun, the stronger spring tially applies the and 1f the machine stops fully appliesit so that tension is. always maintained on the cord by the weaker spring, or springs of theof the tension regulator gradually and parbrake to the supply spool,

tension regulator.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one method of carrying out this inven tion -1*"igure-1 is a perspective view of the upper portion of the machine, with some parts omitted for the sake of cleai'ness; Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of a detail-of the same on the line 22 of Fig. 1 Figs. 3 and 4 are diagrammatic plans of the folding arm in two different posit ons Fig. 5 is'a plan show ing the transferring arms; Fig. 6 is a vertical the line 66 of t ele- Fig. 8 is a side elevation of the presser-foot mech anism; Fig. 9 is a-front elevation of a detail co-operating therewith; the displacing arm perspective view of rat figure; Fig. 7 is an mechanism; Fig. 11.1 is a the same with the arts in a different position; Fig. 12 is a side e evation of a portion of this mechanism. Fig. 13 is a perspective view showing the same mech anism in yet another "position; Fig. 14 is a plan of the whole machine with parts broken away for thesake of clearness; Fig. 15 is an shown in Fig. 15 but on an elevation of the lower portion of. the Ina-- chine; Fig. 16 is an elevation of a detail v enlarged scale; Fig. 17 is an elevationof the tension device Fig. 18 is a lan'of'the same with the co-operating cor -carrying spool; Fig. 19 is an elevation .of the cord 'earrying spool, and

Fig. 20 is an elevation ofa detail- L'ke letters indicate like parts throughout the drawings.

This invention comprises iive main co-operat'mg devices, all of which appear in F 1g. 1..

Thefirst of these is the folding airm A by which the cord ismade into loops and presented t0 the forn1er B, constituting an other main element and whereon the fabric 1s built up.

When the looped cord" is .presented to the former it is "first temporarily gr'i p'ed by the presser iootG and then the en s-of, the loop are removed from the fold ing arm by transferring devices YThe presser foot and transierringfdevices'eonsti- .to and the'last of these element 4 solidatmg. pressenfoot'or displacing arm L,

tute two more oft-he main elements referred s is the corn one of which isempioyed on each side of the Fig; 10 is a plan'oi the bracket. rnent in one'direetwn by a v pawl H mounted a the spindle H. s

former for the purpose of drawing back that cord previously laid upon the former while the nextcord lsplaced in position.

. The mechanismQshown in Fig. '1 is carried upon a table. A having supports A and beneath the table and mounted upon the sup-v ports is the driving shaft F (Figs. 14; and 15) from which the whole mechanism receives mot-ion. The shaft carries a pulley F adapted to receive a driving belt and the pulley may be provided with any suitable clutch 1 mechanism-whereby it may be made fast or loose on the shaft as required. Fast on the shaft F is a beveled wheel Ftwhich meshes with a wheel F fasten a vertical shaft F. The shaft F is carried in suitable bearings upon the frame of the machine and has at its upper end above the table A, an arm G car-. rying a crank-pin G. Pivoted to the crankpin'is a link G wvhose free end is pivoted to a toothed quadrant-member G. This member is pivoted to the table'A at G" and the teeth of'the quadrant engage a wheel ll} l'ast on a vertical shaft II. and finds its hearings in atubular vertical member A irigidly secured to a bracket A on' the table A. At the upper end of the shaft H issecured a wheel H which meshes with a wheel H fast on the upper end oi a spindle H This spindle is carried in brack- This shaft is carried tubular member A3. At the lower end of the spindle H is a pin A) which constitutes part A and the arm. isseeured of the folding arm to the lower end of this spindle by a sleeve A"; the arm A is further supported by a tie A which is connected to the free end of the varln'by a lug A and is pivoted at the other. end to a sleeve A fast on the upper end of the spindle H.

The spindle H is free to turn and also to rise and fall in the brackets H; The. turn-- ing movement is giv In to it by the wheel 11* and as this wheel is constantly reciprocatod by the quadrant G? through the medium oi the shaftH, the spindle 11* and re se uontly the arm A will receive a correspoi 1g l ar-la ward and forward movement. .lf'hc vertical movemen of the spindleis obtained by a cam member H carried by the loner bracket H The member is rotate-bl}; mounted in but is prevented spri controlled on the bi" i 21ll(l on-' gaging recesses or teeth H in ''lmperiplwry of thecam member. The member has two cains Y 9 set at an angieoi 186 from each other and a notch 11 is allotted to' cat-b cam. Fri-operating with the cam member ll is a converse cam member H secured to the spindle H"; aspring H bears at one end against this cam member and at, the other end against the underside bracket B so that it. always tends to depress From thisiit will be seen ICS" Irwin more- I at -thelimit of its m'ovem nt the presser foo t cord above the form r above its proper level or the ins A A, but

the-flange J." on the pulley -maintains the C descends and grips tl central portion of the cord firmly upon the former It will be seen that t 1e guides'J raise'the supply-ofcord at thedesired level:

.The mechanism forv operating'the presser foot s shown more particularly in Fig. 8, and

com rises the following elements-': A bellcran lever C? is pivoted at C? to a vertical plate C carried by .a bracket Cf on the. table A A One arm of the leveraC is approximately horizontal, and pivoted to'its free end is a presser-foot C while the other end is 0011 foot down upon the former. I The end of:

nccted to a spring C secured to the plate C and which always'tends to keep the presserthehorizontal armiof the bell-crank ever C also 'carries' a lug C-"to which is secured an inclined striking plate C sion onthe supply'cord from displacing the hell-crank lever'C is made. to-rock'in a directron against the tendency of the s ring C so that thetp'resserefoot C is lifte As the folding arm arrives at the limit of its movef ment the striking-piece A passes beyond the plate C so that the presser-foot" is rereleased and" immediately descends under theaction of the spring C By this time however, the loop carried by the folding arm has been brought to the required position and has been pressed home aga nst the loops already laid, by pivoted presser feet-or fingers A also carried bv the folding arm and 1 ,7 15. h h controlled springsA Eac nger asa tail portion A adapted to strike agalnst a stop A l. The stops are carried bya forked member A secured to the plate C and thetail portions'of the fingers A come into contact therewith just before the resser-foot C descends so that the fingers are by this means advanced against the action of their springs A to carry the loop clear of the guides :B

and pressit home, as already mentioned.-

The central portion of the loop is thus temporarily held on the former by the vpres'serfoot with the flat face of the cord turned toward the surface of the former while the ends of the loop are still carried by the'pins A A and are presented edgewise to the former; The object of thus holding the cord on the former'is to prevent the ten- )Joop before it isattached to the pins B and further to prevent displacement of thesame through any uneven act-ion of the transferring devices hereinafter described. 7

and consequently arm D .D (Fig. 6) at the point where'the pivot pin- D passes through it, and it is engaged by a Thetransferring devices D, (Figs'l, 5, 6 and 7) now come into operation; 1 One of thesedevices 1s s tuated on each side of the former one in close proximity to the pin A and the other opposite the pin A when the folding arm is in the positionijust described, but that which should appear on the the sake of clearness.

Each device comprises an arm D mount-ed rotatably-in bearings D and'oarrying at that left 10f the former in Fig. 1, is omitted for v end. remote from the former a crank D These cranks are connected by links D to opposite ends -ofa'cross-head D carried bya vertical shaft K. The shaft K is preferably rect'angular'in cross section and slides freely in bearings K (Fig. on one of the'frame' members -A of the machine. 'The shaft is reciprocated by a link K which 'pivotally connects it with .a-crank pin K carried by a disk K fast on thedriving shaft F. i

The operative endof each arm D, that is the end nearest the former, is bent outwardly as shown at d and the-reciprocation of the vertical shaft K will cause these ends' to alternately advanceinthe arc of a circle toward the pins B of the former and return in the same path. At the operative end 'ofeach arm D is a'membe-r Dfrom which extend two fingers D D rigid with the member D and between these is pivoted a transferring tumbler or finger D Thav ing a tripping The finger D is slottedas shown at spring D which always tends to maintain the fin er at the limit of. its forward movementv etween the fixed fingers D D Above each transferring device, a cam D 'is securedl This may be supported from any convenient fixed part of the machine'and is shown Fig; 1 'as carried by an arm D which 18 secured to a standard I). Ti

thetransferring devices are in the raised position the cameo-operating with each bears against the controlling spring D so'that the transferring finger D is withdrawn tojthe limit of its inward movement between the fixed.f'm'gersfD D.

The operation of this portion of the ma- [chine is as follows :-As soon as the presserfoot C has gripped the newly presented loop, 1

the transferring arms both commence to turn in the direction indicated by thearrows (Fig.

5) which brings the transferring fingers D down into the loops of the cord and in line with movement now'brings the fixed fingers D D down upon the cord so that they pushit off the pins A A Whereuponit isreceived by the spring controlledtumblers or fingersD The ends of the loop are carried'downtothe pins 13 and the machine is so adjusted that."

the transferring fingers'coincide'with a' corre sponding pair of. pins, one on each side ofthe the pins A A Thecontinued downward former machine and on each side of the I) of'the transferring lingers l) are brought as the lingers arrive at the pins ii to wflich the loop is to be transferred. The forward movement of the transferring lingers is thus stopped. but the fixed lingers l) 1)" continue their advance with the arms I) and push the loop off the lingers D and on to the pins. The arms 1) now return and as they arrive again at the starting point the springs D are brought against the cams D so that the transferring fingers are withdrawn ready to enter the next loop. The lixcd linger D of the right hand transferring device (Fig. 5) is shorter than the finger D for the purpose of allowing the passage of the pin A into posisition' opposite the transferring linger D The springs D in addition to advancing the transferring fingers as described, also serve to maintain the tension on the loops, and as the arcs through which the transferring lingers move do not necessarily coincide with the path described by the end of the loop as it is laid on the curved working face of the "former" a yielding device is desirable.

Although in Fig. 1 the cross head D is shown for convenience as if it might be rigidly secured to the reciprocating shaft K, it is found in actual practice that if so arranged that transferring device allotted to the pin A? of the folding arm would in its upward movement foul the cord as this moves in a direction to pass beneath the pin. To obviate this difficulty the cross-head is mounted free on the shaft as shown in Fig. 20, and on the shaft is a collar K". whereby the crosshead is moved downward. the upward movement being effected by a spring K". As the cross-head rises, it is brought against stops K. on a suitable support K which limit its upward movement, while the shaft K continues to rise, and the transferring devices are thus brought to rest at the limit of their upward movement before the cord is brought into such position by the folding arm as to foul, whereas if the cross-head were fixed to the shaft K they would have to be so arranged as to arrive at this point later so that fouling, as already described, would take place. The transferring devices remain stationary until the collar K again descending strikes'the crosshead D and carries it down, the cord in t .e mea itime having passed beneath the pit- A and its transferring device.

During the downward movement of the t ansferring devices it is desirable to consolidate or displace the loop previously laidso that clearance may be left for the proper placing of the new loop on the next pair of.

pins. For this purpose a consolidating p 'esser foot or displacer L comprising two claws-11* carried by a rocking arm L 1sen1- ployed, one on each side of the former,.

Secured to a fixed part of the Y l lach displacer has what ma be called a former is i a stop 1) against which thc tripping arnis iil'sl advance, towardthc former; then square movement, that i'slto say, the claws m re along the face of the same afterw'vhi'clr i thtf are withdrawn from the torn :r and then carried back to the position from which they started. This movement'is-obtained by the mechanism shown in Figs. 10'to 13.

Eachmember L in addition to being free to rock in its bearings can also slide endwise therein and is controlled by a spring L Each rocking member L has secured to it a vertical arm L and these are connected by a spring L a member L is a sleeve L connected by a link L- with an arm L on a rocking shaft L This rocking shaftcarries an arm L which engages a. pin L" on the reciprocating vertical shaft K already referred to; (See Fig. 11).

Pivoted on a rectangular bracket L are two catches L controlled'by a spring L and limited in their movement in one direction by two stops 11 Each catch has a shoulder L at its'rear and a'beveled face L at the forward end. Each rocking member L carries a co-0perating dog L which is cut away on the underside as shown at L (Fig. 13) to receive the catch L and is beveled at the rear as shown at L".

Pivoted at L to the reciprocating shaft K is a trip L3 controlled by a spring L The trip is so situated that with the parts in the position shownin Fig. 11, it will catch upon the ends of the membersL as the shaft descends and turning about its pivot against the action of its spring will pass below them, but as the shaft rises the trip will rise beneath the projecting ends of the members L and engage them as hereinafter described.

The operation of this mechanism is asfollows At the commencement of the cycle of operations, the dogs L lie to the front of the catches L and when in this position the dis placing devices are advanced toward the former and have just commenced their movement parallel with the same for the purpose of displacing the cord. At this pointthe shaft K has commenced to rise and thetrip L is already above the dogs L The continued upward movement of the shaft K causes a rearward movement ofthe links L and thc-sleevesL thereon being in contact with thearms L cause the rocking members L to be withdrawn against the action of their springs L and parallel with the face of the former, whereby the displacing of the cord last laid on the former is effected; During this rearward movement of the rocking members, the .dogs L pass the catches L by forcing them together against the action of their spring L as-shown in Fig. 10. As the rocking members L arrive at the limit of their rearward movement, the dogs pass the shoulders L on the catches 'so that these immediately resume their normalposi- Free to slide on'eacli-rockim roc ITO 

